More than 60 Simley High School band students participated in this year’s Minnesota State High School League Solo/Ensemble Contest. Despite the anxiety that can come with performing solo for a judge, Simley students rose to the occasion and earned top scores and honors in the contest.
Students from Jefferson High School, Two Rivers High School, Richfield High School, and St. Thomas Academy came to Simley to participate in the MSHSL Solo/Ensemble Contest as well. Simley had the highest number of entries, and its students achieved some of the top results. Half of Simley’s participants received the top rating of “superior” from judges. Ten students got a score of 39 or higher out of 40, and two got a perfect score of 40. Simley was the only school to receive any perfect scores.
In addition to providing performance scores, judges name “Best of Site” at the end of the contest. Judges from each performance site or location select the top performer or performers that they saw during the contest. These performers are honored as “Best of Site.” This year, four Simley students were named “Best of Site” from the seven sites:
- Junior Ahnalee Ambriz – Alto saxophone
- Sophomore Chloe Heifort – Trumpet
- Sophomore Madeline Ngo – Clarinet
- Senior Grace Raab – Clarinet
The MSHSL Solo/Ensemble Contest is an opportunity for students to learn about their strengths and areas for improvement as musicians. Although performing alone can be difficult, Simley students demonstrated their high level of skill and grew in their experience. Congratulations to Simley’s participants on their outstanding performances!